Seattle Seafarers Center
An Affiliate of The Mission to Seafarers and Stella Maris
SEATTLE SEAFARERS CENTER NEWSLETTER
August 2024
Meet our 2024-2025 Jesuit Volunteer Corps / AmeriCorps Member
We are excited to welcome our new team member, Holly Ross. Holly is participating in Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest and AmeriCorps, and will be serving at the Seattle Seafarers Center for the next 11 months.
Holly (she/her) is from St. Louis, Missouri. In 2022, she graduated from Saint Louis University with her bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science. For the past two years, she worked for the St. Louis Cardinals Authentics Shop and the St. Louis Blues Team Store. Holly moved to Seattle to complete a year of service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest and AmeriCorps program. She is excited to explore Seattle and the Pacific Northwest region.
Holly has been enjoying learning more about the maritime world and getting to know seafarers from around the world. She’s visited many ships and has been involved in helping a tugboat crew in distress during her first two weeks at the center. She is excited to welcome seafarers to Seattle, work to ensure their wellbeing is cared for, and advocate for seafarers’ rights. She is looking forward to helping make the invisible seafarer seen in the community and helping the center to grow in new ways.
Thank You, Rush Team Apparel!
Since 2022, we have had a partnership with Rush Team Apparel, a company which prints clothing items for local sports competitions in the Pacific Northwest. Every year, Rush Team Apparel donates a large supply of unused clothing to our Seafarers Center to give out to seafarers. We received two donations in recent months, and our storage room is packed full of clothing! We have been bringing T-shirts and sweatshirts with us on almost every ship visit, and they have been much appreciated by the crews.
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Save the Date - Ditty Bag Day 2024!
Our next annual Ditty Bag Stuffing Day will be held on Saturday, November 23 at 10am. We will be at our usual location of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in West Seattle.
We hope to see you there! You can RSVP on Eventbrite or Facebook.
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Brand New Safety Gear!
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We want to extend a huge thank you to Mission to Seafarers International Headquarters for providing us with brand new safety equipment! It was time to replace our old safety vests, hardhats, and gloves. Our ship visiting team is feeling fresh in our new gear.
Highlights of Driving the Cruise Shuttle
A reflection from our Executive Director, Rich Shively
It is always such a pleasure to drive crew members from the cruise ships that visit Pier 91 near the Magnolia Bridge in Seattle. All of us who drive hear from the crew how much they appreciate the opportunity to have a short break from the ship and maybe do a little personal shopping in downtown Seattle. The crew is made up of men and women from all around the world. The conversations in the van on the way to downtown or back to the ship are always fascinating, and often hilarious. I often drive on Sundays or Mondays depending on what the need is, and its great to see people a second and third time as they come out.
This summer, I had the chance to drive on several Saturdays. Normally on the weekends there are two ships at Pier 91. It’s a very busy day as most passengers are leaving the ship, and a new full capacity set of passengers arrives. One of the ships on Saturday is the Holland America Eurodam. Over the course of a few Saturdays, I met a number of people on the crew. One member of the crew I met over a few weeks was the leader of a band aboard the ship. He mentioned that when he is home in New Orleans, he leads a choir at his church.
My family went on a cruise on that exact ship at the end of August. We saw people I met on the van: the dining staff, members of the music group and folks that work in the shops and guest services on the ship. When we went aboard the ship, some of these folks remembered our trips together to downtown.​​
One such moment happened in the Rolling Stone Lounge. The leader of the music group playing there recognized me in the middle of the show. He made a point to say hello and thanked the Seattle Seafarers Center for their service.​
From the room stewards, the restaurant staff, the entertainers to the officers and guest services, we were all so grateful for how hard they worked to welcome and provide hospitality to all the passengers, and particularly those with special needs and young children. It made me think about how our service to them with a simple ride downtown allows the Seafarers Center a chance to do the same. Thanks to all of you who drive or support the shuttle van effort!
Consider a Memorial Gift
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​If you have a loved one who has been helped by the Seattle Seafarers Center, establishing a memorial or tribute gift is a meaningful way to honor them or celebrate a special occasion, such as a birthday, while supporting our mission. Your memorial or tribute gift will extend the legacy of your loved one and will make a difference in our service to Seafarers in Puget Sound. If you have questions or would like to talk about this possibility, call Rich Shively at (206) 935-3439.